UK heatwave latest: Extreme heat weather warning extended again

If you are in the amber heat warning zone, brace for hot and humid conditions to continue until 9am tomorrow.

The affected area covers London and the South East, East of England and East Midlands, where the temperatures will widely exceed 30C and peak at up to 33C, so slightly below yesterday’s record high.

But the bad news is that there is likely going to be one more tropical night.

Met Office said: Temperatures overnight Saturday into Sunday remain unlikely to fall below high teens Celsius for most, with a few places not dropping below 20 Celsius. This will again be accompanied by high humidity at first, but fresher conditions will steadily become established from the west during the latter part of the night.

‘Another hot day is expected in the far east of the region on Sunday, but both temperatures and humidity lower than recent days with a much lower likelihood of further impacts.’

The UK’s largest ambulance service received the highest number of 999 calls in its history yesterday, the peak of the June heatwave.

Call handlers took 8,869 emergency calls on Friday. Between 6pm and midnight they answered 500 calls every hour.

There were 688 category 1 calls, the most serious cases including people having a heart attack and those who have stopped breathing.

Craig Harman, London Ambulance Service’s chief operating officer, said: ‘Despite bringing in more than 400 additional ambulance crews and increasing staffing across our 999 and 111 control rooms, demand has remained exceptionally high this week.

‘We have now stood down the critical incident but remain very busy. If you’re enjoying the sunshine or cheering on England this evening, please stay hydrated, drink responsibly and look after each other.’

The forecaster has warned of serious risks from open water as temperatures can still remain cold in the sea, rivers and lakes.

While the air temperature remains sweltering in the amber weather warning area in the south of England, waters can be cold enough to trigger cold water shock.

• Cold water shock can be triggered when the body is immersed in water below 15C
• The physiological reaction can affect anyone regardless of age, fitness or swimming ability
• This reaction can make the swimmer gasp, which in turn can lead to inhaling water, which triggers panic, spiking heart rate and hyperventilation, making swimming more difficult
• The initial effects of the shock last around 90 seconds, and it is crucial to stay calm and avoid unnecessary movement during it

If you find yourself suddenly in cold water, it is important to lean back and try to float and to keep your head above water. Extend arms and legs to help do this and control your breathing to calm down.

The death toll linked to swimming during the June heatwave has risen to five after the body of a 22-year-old man was pulled from River Severn today.

Hundreds of flights have been delayed at two of the UK’s busiest airports after the weather took a thundery turn.

The western flank of Europe endured the worst the ‘heat dome’ has to offer this week, and now the weather front is gripping Germany and the neighbouring countries.

Temperatures are expected to hit and topple 40C in the Netherlands and Germany today, where all of the 16 states are under the highest category heat warning.

People have flocked to parks, rivers and beaches to escape the choking temperatures.

While Paris Pride was forced to postpone the event, the LGBT celebration in Munich will go ahead despite the weather warning in the Bavarian city.

Frankfurt’s Ironman triathlon will also push ahead, but with shorter cycling and running legs as the city is slated for 39C.

Like the UK heat warning zone, many German cities will have to endure tropical nights. Nighttime temperatures in Berlin are expected to remain at 25C.

Some London attractions remain closed today because of the heat to protect visitors and staff.

• Cutty Sark in Greenwich will remain closed today, and is due to reopen tomorrow
• Young V&A in Bethnal Green is shut today

The roof of a terraced home caved in on Thatcher Close in Crawley, West Sussex, after a fire caused by a lightning bolt this morning as the thunder front ravaged the area.

Footage from the scene shows how the flames had burned through the roof of the two-storey home.

West Sussex remains under an amber extreme heat warning today, and temperatures could still top 34C along with high humidity creating sticky conditions on what is expected to be the final day of the hot spell.

The hot spell has wreaked havoc on the railways, including near Heathrow Airport, on the overhead lines above the M5 and sparking signal failures.

Now the Sheppey Crossing to the Kent island has been affected by the extreme weather, forcing one of the lanes to close, although the bridge remains open and traffic can continue to travel on it.

National Highways said: ‘The bridge has been affected due to the recent hot spell.’

Most of Kent is under a hosepipe ban announced by South East Water earlier this week in a bid to conserve water.

Breaching the official ban, which is in place until Friday, July 3, carries a fine of up to £ 1,000.

Its customers in Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire and Sussex have been asked to pause all use under an advisory notice.

Affinity Water, supplying homes outside Greater London, asked people to use water ‘wisely this week,’ stopping short of issuing a ban or any notices.

A fire broke out above shops in Streatham, south London, this morning during the thunder and lightning storm.

Firefighters were seen putting out the flames after a bolt is believed to have struck the building shortly at about 4am.

Thick black smoke billowed into the thundery sky from the roof of the top floor property on Mitcham Lane.

London Fire Brigade told Metro: ‘Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters tackled a fire on Mitcham Lane in Streatham.

The fire occurred in an end of terrace shop with dwellings above that was under construction. The roof of the building was destroyed by the fire. There were no reports of any injuries.

‘One of the Brigade’s 32-metre turntable ladders was used at the scene was an observation tower, providing the Incident Commander with an aerial view of the fire.

‘Control Officers took the first of 17 calls at 0417 (27/06) and mobilised crews from Tooting, Norbury, West Norwood and surrounding fire stations to the scene. The fire was extinguished by 0624.

‘The fire is believed to have been caused by a lightning strike.’

The heatwave has taken a tragic turn in France, as the country has battled even tougher conditions than the UK, with officials bringing in a ban on alcohol sales until tomorrow and events like Pride postponed in a bid to ease pressure on emergency services and hospitals.

A fourth toddler has died in connection with the heatwave, while over 55 people have drowned this week.

The young boy, an 18-month-old toddler, was rushed to the hospital earlier in the week after being found in a car in Marseille.

He suffered from overheating and is believed to have been forgotten in the car by his dad, according to Le Figaro.

In Paris, a three-year-old boy died after climbing into a car and becoming stuck when the doors locked automatically as temperatures soared to almost 40C in the French capital.

The bodies of two children, aged two and four, were discovered in a family car parked outside in the heatwave earlier this week.

People have been tested by the extreme heat this week, with temperatures hardly dropping below 20C in most parts of the UK.

The hot and humid conditions have been ideal for lightning strikes, which struck last night over London and the South East during a thunderstorm warning in place.

The end of the heatwave is near, as temperatures are due to fall over the weekend.

Following the hottest June on record, putting exceptionally high pressure on emergency services, forcing school closures, and causing chaos on public transport, thankfully, things are about to get easier.

The Met Office’s red weather warning for the West has ended, as has the amber warning in place in other parts of the country until 9pm tonight.

From now, the UK Health Security Agency has downgraded its red heat-health alert to amber. It will remain in place until 9am on Sunday and signifies that widespread impacts (on sectors like healthcare) are possible.

Gradually, the temperatures will become more comfortable over the coming days as the humidity lessens but will be particularly noticeable from Sunday when they dip to the low to mid-20s.

Then, next week, the low 20s are forecast.

A fire alert at Shepherd’s Bush station led to severe delays on the entire Central Line, with footage shared online showing sweltering passengers leaving what looked to be a smoking train.

A fire engine soon arrived, and commuters evacuated, with social media users comparing the line to a ‘furnace’ even in winter.

@SVCarbaholic added on X: ‘You couldn’t pay me to go on that in the summer.’

It’s not just the UK feeling the heat as Spain has been hit with record-breaking June temperatures.

According to the Spanish Health Institute Carlos III, 327 heat-related deaths have been registered since Sunday.

The heat is expected to move through western Europe and the Balkans, with temperatures of up to 39 degrees expected in some parts of Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Montenegro.

Supertram, the network connecting Sheffield and Rotherham in South Yorkshire, has told people not to travel due to hot weather conditions.

It has suspended all services from 1.30pm until further notice, with tickets accepted on First and Stagecoach buses instead.

Travel across the UK is likely to be a sticky affair today as the infrastructure struggles to cope, and most rail operators are advising people to only travel if absolutely necessary today due to the heat and timetable changes.

People in Cambridge, which is under the extreme heat warning until 9pm tomorrow, shared what measures they are taking to survive the Great British Bake-Off.

Stonehenge in Wiltshire said the historical landmark will close at 3pm today.

It said: ‘Stonehenge will close at 3pm today, with last entry at 1:30pm due to the hot weather and to ensure the safety of visitors and staff. If you have a ticket booked for a time slot during the closure, you can visit earlier in the day. Otherwise, you’ll receive an automatic refund within ten working.’